


Boy Advice

by The_fangirl_264



Category: Titans (TV 2018)
Genre: Awkwardness, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gun Violence, I didn't tag all the characters bc they don't have big roles in this, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23917354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_fangirl_264/pseuds/The_fangirl_264
Summary: “Really, ‘cause from what I could tell, it seemed like you were going to ask Gar out on a date.”Rachel coughed a little too loudly in surprise, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red. “What? No!” Now, she couldn’t help but glance up. She caught Gar wince slightly before disguising it with a goofy look. She knew that facial expression. He only made that face when something was bothering him, but he was choosing to mask that pain behind a joke in hopes of nobody noticing. She knew that turning to humor was his way of dealing with difficult situations.I took some liberties with who is a part of the team and when. Takes place after Trigon’s defeat but before Deathstroke shows up.(Used to be named "A Collection of One Shots" until I decided to do more with it and make it into a continued story).
Relationships: Garfield Logan/Raven, Koriand'r & Raven (DCU)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 122





	1. Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Titans or any of its characters. :)

Kory Anders had just settled into her bed when a tentative knock came from the door of her bedroom in Titans Tower. Rachel Roth slowly peeked her head in the room. 

“I’m sorry that it’s so late. I didn’t wake you up, did I?” The girl fidgeted with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. “I was hoping we could talk.” 

“No, no. It’s fine. I wasn’t asleep” The tamaranean smiled warmly. “Come on in.” 

Rachel stayed standing in the doorway for a few seconds longer as if debating if she should leave or stay. 

“What’s up, Rach?” Kory asked, getting a little worried. She scooted over to allow the girl room to sit next to her on the bed. 

“I was hoping for some advice.” Rachel shuffled over to the older woman and sat next to her. 

“Advice?” Kory felt her heart do a little dance. Why was Rachel coming to her for advice? She really hoped she wouldn’t mess this up. 

The girl shifted, blushing. “About a guy.”

“Rach!” Kory playfully shoved her with a wide grin on her face, “A guy?” 

“Yeah. I’ve known him for a little while and I don’t want to ruin things between us by telling him how I feel, but I really like him.”

Kory had a feeling she knew who this _guy_ was, but wanted to wait to see if Rachel would tell her on her own. She didn’t want to pry or say anything to scare the young girl away; she felt honored that Rachel would even consider coming to her for advice. Though, she supposed that Dick probably wouldn’t be the best person to turn to for dating advice. Sometimes it felt as if the man had no social skills whatsoever. 

“Well, do you know what he likes? You could ask him to go see a movie or something but not specify if it’s a date or not. This way you could test the waters before you jump in and tell him how you feel.” 

Rachel nodded but didn’t say anything, a look of contemplation on her face. 

“After the movie, you could go get a coffee or something to eat.” Kory suggested. 

“Yeah. He mentioned a new coffee shop a few blocks away that he really wanted to try. I guess it’s one of those places that makes little designs on top. He said that he wanted to see what a tiger looked like swimming in a sea of coffee.” Rachel told her, a fond smile tugged at her lips. 

At the tiger part, Kory knew she couldn’t pretend not to know any longer. Plus, it was painfully obvious how the two teens felt about each other. Apparently, painfully obvious to everyone, except themselves. 

“That’s a great idea. I’m sure _Gar_ will love it,” Kory said and watched the younger girl’s face for a reaction. 

“Yeah, I think-” Rachel trailed off and wrung her hands. “Wait, you know?” 

Kory snorted, “At this point, I think everyone does.” 

“Really?” A deep red washed over Rachel’s cheeks and she put her head in her hands. 

“I was right about your feelings for him. And I’m pretty sure he feels the same about you.” 

“How do you know?” 

Kory looked at her incredulously, “Girl, have you seen the way he acts around you? He’ll do anything to make you smile or impress you.” 

The two girls smiled, thinking of an incident last week that ended with Gar’s face pressed to the training room floor and Jason standing over him with a victorious smirk. Kory had been standing on the sidelines with Rachel when Gar glanced at the younger girl before challenging Jason to a duel. And the rest was history. 

“And if I’m wrong about how he feels, so what?” Kory continued. “He wouldn’t treat you any differently. He cares about you, Rachel.” 

Rachel sighed, “I know. I just really want him to like me back.” 

“I know,” Kory pulled her into a tight embrace. “I say you give my plan a shot and take it from there. If things seem to be going well, you can either tell him then or you can come find me and we can come up with a creative way to let him know.” 

“Thanks, Kory. You’re the best.” 

Kory chuckled and tossed a lock of pink hair over her shoulder. “I know. And don’t you forget it.” 


	2. Popcorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel attempts to ask Gar out. I think it's safe to say that it doesn't go exactly as planned.

Rachel breathed in the buttery smell of popcorn that mingled with the warm summer air. The windows of Titans Tower were cracked open so that the inhabitants could enjoy the perfect weather. The teen girl watched her best friend preparing a snack for himself and sighed; since the defeat of Trigon, everything had been going well for the team. Most of the team was out scouting out a possible threat across town; they left Rachel, Gar, and Jason behind with Kory to keep an eye on the three teens. At the moment, the four new Titans were spread out around the main living space. Jason was on his phone at the kitchen counter. Kory was absentmindedly flipping through a random book. Rachel plopped herself down on the couch; she hoped Gar would be down to watch a movie with her. It had been a particularly uneventful day and she really wanted an excuse to be with him. 

After the beep of the microwave, Gar unceremoniously flopped down next to Rachel. He let out an overly dramatic sigh as he peered down at the giant bowl of popcorn in his lap. The bowl was so full that kernels of popcorn were spilling onto his grey sweat pants. 

“Hungry?” Rachel snorted in amusement. 

“No,” Gar stuck his tongue out at her. “Bored. There’s nothing to do around here.” 

“Thanks,” She replied sarcastically. “You could talk to me. I feel so neglected.” She put the back of her hand to her forehead and pretended to swoon. 

“I’m sure you’ll get over it.” He playfully shoved her, spilling more of his beloved popcorn. “Now look what you’ve made me do.” He pretended to be exasperated, but couldn’t help but crack a sly smile. 

She loved exchanges like these. Whenever the two of them would joke together, she always felt like they were the only two people in the world, which she knew sounded rather cliche. She loved watching him laugh at his own jokes; his eyes would crinkle and be filled with such a pure light that she couldn’t look away even if she wanted to. And his smile-- so blinding and perfect. Everything about him was captivating to Rachel; around him she could forget her confusing powers and the unbelievable life she led. 

The younger teen looked at him with an expression of contemplation and she began to fidget. She eyed the two other people in the room. Rachel was very grateful to have Kory nearby as moral support, but she would have preferred to do this without Jason Todd listening in. She knew that on a day as dull as this one, he would be intrigued by anything even remotely entertaining. But she decided now was as good a time as any. She was feeling a bit more confidence after her talk with Kory last night and she didn’t want to stall too long or else it might start to wane. 

Rachel took a deep breath before turning to her best friend. “Well, if you have nothing else to do, I was wondering if you wanted to-”

“Hey, guys” Jason squeezed in between the other two teens which caused more popcorn to spill, this time onto the floor causing a groan from Gar. “What’s going on?”

Rachel shifted away and began cleaning the food off of the floor. 

“Don’t stop on my account. What did you want Gar to do?” Jason gave her a slightly devious grin which worried Rachel. What could he be thinking. With a look like that, the new Robin  _ had  _ to have something up his sleeve. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She stated, feigning confusion, but keeping her gaze fixed on the popcorn on the floor. Suddenly, the comfortable, warm weather was a little  _ too  _ hot for Rachel. He had better not be doing what she thought he was. 

“Really, ‘cause from what I could tell, it seemed like you were going to ask Gar out on a date.” 

The girl coughed a little too loudly in surprise, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red. “What? No!” She didn’t dare look at the green-haired teen for fear of seeing his reaction to the latest development. “Gar? Ew, no way.” Now, she couldn’t help but glance up. She caught Gar wince slightly before disguising it with a goofy look. 

“Yeah, Jace. The great and powerful Rachel is too good for a humble peasant like me.” Gar announced in a posh accent. However, the girl knew  _ that _ facial expression. He only made that face when something was bothering him, but he was choosing to mask that pain behind a joke in hopes of nobody noticing. She knew that turning to humor was his way of dealing with difficult situations. 

Kory, now having been listening in on the conversation, appeared next to the couch. “What’s going on, guys?” 

“Rachel was flirting with Tiger Boy,” Jason smugly told the older woman. 

“I was not!” Rachel exclaimed, knowing full well that she was giving Jason the satisfaction of getting a reaction out of her. 

Kory didn’t respond. Instead, she made eye contact with Rachel and gave her a look that clearly said  _ do you want my help?  _ The younger girl gave a discreet nod, grateful for her loyal friend. 

“Rach, I think Dick needed you down in the training room.”

“Convenient timing, don’t you think?” Jason smirked, nudging the other boy. “Especially considering Dick isn’t back yet.”

“Yeah. It is.” Kory shot Jason a meaningful glare. “Rachel, I can walk you there.” 

The purple-haired teen nodded and stood. As the two were leaving, they heard “That was strange. Don’t you think, Gar?” accompanied by silence. 

Kory turned to Rachel once they were out of earshot. “What was that about?” 

Rachel shrugged. “Jason was just trying to make my life difficult.” She looked down at the floor and scuffed her shoe.

“Was it because you asked Gar?” The tamaranian asked. 

“No. I was about to though.” Rachel glanced back at the entryway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't hate Jason, I promise. I thought it would be funny to have Rachel all embarrassed by her feelings for Gar, and Jason seemed like the perfect person to catch on and do some friendly teasing. :)


	3. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The awkwardness between Gar and Rachel continues. Things don't get much better when the Titans face trouble.

Rachel withheld a sigh as she watched the Titans preparing for dinner. The original team members returned unsuccessful; the gang they fought had them outnumbered. The mood was somber and nobody said a word. The only sounds in the kitchen were the clattering of plates as Gar and Jason set the table and Dick cutting up the food to place it on people’s plates. 

They all settled at the table and ate in uncomfortable silence until Dick cleared his throat. 

“Today didn’t go as planned.” 

Hank snorted but did not say anything. 

“I truly do think we can get these guys.” Dick leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. “We can take a few days to train and hone our skills before tracking them down again.” 

“So, in the meantime we just let those guys roam the street freely?” Hank asked, his voice rising dangerously. “You saw what they were doing. Imagine what kind of damage they’d be able to do with all of the extra time you’re giving them now.” 

Dawn reached over to place her hand on her boyfriend’s arm. “We know, but we need to be smart about this.” She glanced at Rachel cautiously. 

“Why? What were they doing?” Rachel asked, she had a feeling there was something important that the original Titans were not being forthcoming about. 

Another painful silence settled. People shifted in their chairs all waiting for someone to speak up. 

“Dick?” Donna turned to the man in question as if asking if she could divulge some sort of secret, but he shook his head. 

Rachel wanted to push for more information, but the look on Dick’s face made her quickly change her mind. The meal was not finished in total silence, but the topics discussed were rather pointless and unproductive in Rachel’s opinion. She picked at her food as she contemplated her best friend’s strange mood. She glanced at Gar. He was shifting in his seat as if he was about to change into a furry, green tiger and make a run for it. Rachel wished she knew what was troubling him; he had been distant since their conversation earlier that day. Was he weirded out by the idea of Rachel almost asking him out (even if she was not going to specify if it was a date when she asked). Did he not want to go? Had she overstepped a boundary? Rachel wasn't sure if she really wanted to know the truth. 

* * *

The following days were mainly spent training, as per Dick’s orders. 

At the moment, the three teens were gathered in the training room with the ex-Robin. He was sparing with them one-on-one while the other two stretched on the sidelines. Jason had gone first; now, it was Gar’s turn, and Rachel could not help but watch attentively. 

The purple-haired girl longed to talk to him, but she was not sure how to start a conversation. Every time they saw each other, they would smile politely but say no more than a simple greeting or point out how exhausted they were from the training exercises. She desperately missed his jokes and his thoughtful reassurances when she was feeling lost and insecure. She missed his sly comments when in precarious situations and the deep conversations they would have when no one else was around. 

“Earth to Rachel,” a voice called, tearing through the murkiness of her contemplations. 

Rachel’s head whipped up. “What?” She had been engrossed in her thoughts for longer than she realized. Gar was finished; it was her turn to practice with Dick. 

“It’s your turn.” Dick said, concern etched on his face. “Are you okay?” 

“She was probably daydreaming about Gar.” Jason teased before Rachel could say anything. 

“I was not,” Rachel cried, feeling a sense of deja vu. She internally cringed; she had responded the same way when Jason brought the topic up days ago. 

“Why are you so embarrassed then?” Jason pointed out, clearly proud of himself for noticing. 

The girl pressed her lips together and held in several indecent remarks about the infuriatingly smug Robin. She refused to take the bait. She was supposed to be making things better between her and Gar, not finding ways to make them worse. 

Dick sighed deeply. “Hey,” he turned to Jason. ‘Why don’t you pick up your training equipment then go take a shower. I think we’re planning on going out to eat for dinner tonight.” 

Jason raised an almost resentful eyebrow, but started to clean up anyway. 

“What was he talking about?” Dick asked the other two teens.

Rachel shrugged; she was at a loss for words. Luckily before anyone said anything more and things got more awkward, Donna rushed into the training room. The rest of the team followed her in. 

“Suit up. We’ve got trouble. Our psycho friends are back,” she announced. “They’ve started another broadcast and we’ve got their location.” 

“Who?” Rachel asked, finally finding her voice. “Those people you had some trouble with a few days ago?” 

Dick nodded grimly and Rachel knew that he would not appreciate her next question, but she had a feeling that this somehow had something to do with her. “Are you going to tell us who  _ they _ are?” 

Her mentor nodded, jaw clenched. “Rachel, the guys we fought-” he took a deep breath and ran a hand down his face. “-are devoted followers of your father who weren’t in the explosion at the asylum.” 

Rachel gasped and felt her stomach drop; she hoped it was inaudible. “So, they’re looking for me?” 

Dick did not offer any response; he did not need to, everyone knew the answer.

“Why? Do they think she might know a way to bring Trigon back?” Gar asked, taking a step towards the teen girl as if he were about to offer her comfort in the form of an embrace, but he abruptly stopped himself. Rachel pretended not to notice. 

Hank cut in, “yeah. And they’re recording themselves hurting and killing innocent people in an attempt to get your attention.” 

Dick cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Which is why we’re going to  _ take care _ of this right now. Kory, Jason, we’ll need your help this time. We may need the extra firepower.” 

Kory snorted at Dick’s pun while the new Robin beamed at the chance to finally be included in the action. Jason offered his fist to Kory for a fist bump. She ignored him. 

“What exactly is the plan, Grayson?” She asked. 

“I’ll explain on the way there; we need to get going.” He turned to Jason. “Go grab your stuff.” 

The boy immediately dashed out of the room to grab his beloved Robin suit. The other two teens went to follow him to grab their stuff too, but their mentor stuck his arm out to stop them. 

“Rachel and Gar, you two need to stay here.”

Rachel gaped at him. “Dick, you can’t leave me behind. You might need my help. Maybe I can show them that I  _ can’t _ bring Trigon back. Please, I want to help; this is my mess too.” 

“No, if this turns out like the last time we fought them, it would be like handing you over to them,” he told her. “They seem to be under the impression that they’ll share in the power if Trigon returns. These people are power-hungry and not mentally stable; if they get a hold of you, there’s no telling what they’ll do to you.  _ Especially  _ when they discover you can’t bring him back.” He put a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “Stay here, okay?” 

Rachel sighed, but nodded anyway. She knew he only wanted to keep her safe. She was grateful for his concern, but sometimes she wanted to be able to make her own decisions. 

As the team was leaving, she watched Dick pull Gar aside to talk away from everyone else. “Keep an eye on her,” the ex-Robin said. 

Gar agreed, and upon Dick’s orders, everyone hurried out, still adjusting their suits and weapons. Suddenly, the two teens were alone. Rachel swallowed thickly, should she speak first or would he? What were they supposed to do while they waited for their team to return? It would be difficult to sit and wait, knowing full well that her friends were walking into danger and there was nothing she could do about it. 

”I think I’m gonna go clean up.” Gar said, vaguely gesturing to his sweaty clothes. He hastily exited, leaving Rachel with her thoughts. 

* * *

When Gar returned, Rachel was seated on the couch. It had only been about ten minutes since the team left, but to Rachel it felt much longer. If any of her friends got hurt because of her, there was no way she could live with herself. She found herself wishing she was a normal highschool student. If she was, she would not have a demon father or her daunting powers or- No, she could not think like that. This is the way things are. Dwelling on the way that things could be would not change the way they really are. Typically, Gar would be the one to help remind Rachel of all of the silver linings. This time, she would have to pull herself out of these dark thoughts.

“We should be out there helping them,” Rachel said, attempting to start some sort of conversation between the two of them  _ and _ distract herself. 

Gar hesitantly perched on the couch next to her. The distance between them was painfully apparent. “I know, but this is for the best.” He looked like there was something he wanted to say but was reluctant to put it to words. Eventually, after about a minute of uncomfortable silence, he asked, “Look, I know now isn’t the best time, but what were you going to ask me before Jason joined us?” 

Rachel’s heart sped up as if she were running a marathon and she racked her brain for the best response. “I dunno; it was dumb. I, uh, changed my mind.” She figured that the less information she gave, the better. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, right?

“Oh.” He looked down at his hands clutched together in his lap. Gar was awkwardly quiet for a while before he asked, “Was Jason right?’

“What?” 

He took a deep breath and hesitated before he voiced his thoughts. “Were you really going to ask me out?” 

There it was. He knew. He  _ knew,  _ and it made him unsettled. She made her best friend uncomfortable by her obviously misplaced feelings. She had ruined the only real, lasting friendship she had ever had. She was mortified. 

Rachel shrugged; she could feel her cheeks heating up hotter than one of Kory’s thermal blasts. “I guess,” she croaked. 

Gar nodded and bit his lip with an expression that left the girl feeling perplexed as to its meaning. “Why?” he finally inquired quietly. 

“ _ Why _ what?”

“What made you change your mind?” 

Rachel shrugged but chose not to respond. What could she say if she did not fully comprehend how he was feeling or even how  _ she _ was feeling?

Gar licked his lips, expression blank. He stood and made his way to the kitchen, probably to grab a snack or to give himself something to do. Rachel felt desperation rise up. She had no idea what he was feeling. Why was he upset? Was he appalled? If she did not know, how could she be expected to fix things between them? And why was this causing the both of them so much distress anyway? 

As Gar rummaged around in the kitchen, Rachel pulled out her phone to play mindless games. She definitely needed a distraction after  _ that _ conversation. However, she did not get much farther than tapping on an app before an automated voice spoke up describing a security alert. The teen girl whipped her head up at the abrupt message. She made eye contact with Gar and they shared a perplexed look. How did somebody manage to get past the security put in place? It couldn’t be the Titans; they had the security codes and had only just left. Before either of them could move, the elevator dinged and out came a large group of heavily armed people. 

“Rachel Roth,” one of the people said. “You need to come with us.” 

“Who are you?” Rachel asked tentatively, but she had a feeling that she already knew the answer. 

“We’re the people charged with ensuring the liberation of our lord, Trigon,” another replied with an air of self-importance. “And it is your sole duty to aid us in our divine mission.”

“We are prepared to do whatever it takes to make you comply with his wishes.” a third told her, cocking her gun and the others followed suit. “Will you come with us peacefully or will we have to take you with us by force?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the best proofreader ever! :)


	4. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gar and Rachel have to deal with Trigon's followers, and things get a bit out of hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the sweet comments! It meant a lot to me to read them! :)

Rachel scanned the large group of Trigon-obsessed followers and knew that her chances of getting out of this unscathed were slim. About ten armed soldiers stood menacingly before them. She slowly lifted her arms as a sign of surrender, hoping to reason with them before things got out of hand. “I can’t bring Trigon back; I don’t know how. I’m of no use to you.” 

“That’ll be for us to decide.” 

The elevator dinged again, and Rachel stifled a groan as roughly 10 more people joined the group. Why did her father have to be so manipulative and persuasive? And more importantly, how was it that  _ this _ many people believed they each would gain power from freeing Trigon? 

“But if you’re here, then who’re the Titans fighting right now?” Gar asked, slowly and inconspicuously taking steps toward Rachel. 

“The rest of our crew is distracting your team while we retrieve the savior of our lord.” the first explained. “Of course, we had assumed you would’ve been with them when we lured them out almost a week ago. Nevertheless, this will work out just fine.” 

“Assuming she comes with us,” someone off to the side pointed out, gesturing to the weapons they each held. “Are we going to keep chatting or are we going to get going?” 

They all looked at Rachel balefully. The teen glanced at her friend next to her for any suggestions he may have to get out of their current predicament. She knew they had been in worse messes than this, and every time they managed to find a way out. However, Gar looked just as unsure as Rachel felt. Maybe if she could find a way to stall until the Titans returned? 

That idea was quickly derailed when the first warning shot was fired; neither had even a fragment of a plan. They both flinched, holding back a shriek of alarm. The shot had nearly missed Rachel’s right foot. She stared wide-eyed at the hole in the floor in front of her. She didn’t even know if her powers still worked now that her father was defeated, and if they did, she did not know if she would be able to stop herself from bringing the whole tower down on all of them. 

“You’re coming with us. I’ve waited too long for  _ this _ kind of power, and I’m not going to let you make me wait any longer,” a woman said, waving her gun wildly. “I fully realize that I can’t kill you without jeopardizing my chances of obtaining unchecked power, but that doesn’t mean I can’t rough the two of you up a little.” 

“Trust me,” Gar said, stepping forward slightly. “The master you’re serving, he doesn’t care about you. He won’t give you the power you want, no matter how much you do for him.” Rachel swallowed, remembering Angela. The thought of her mom still had the power to dredge up unpleasant memories and the intense emotions that accompanied them. 

“Not another word, Kid,” a man in the front of the group warned.

Rachel wasn’t sure how much longer these people would wait before they started getting really impatient and actually making good on their threats, but she decided she wasn’t going to let them have a chance to. 

The girl took a deep, shaky breath before she let the inky darkness seep out of her and whip around the room. Those in the front of the group went flying in all directions, yelling in alarm. Rachel figured that it was enough to get her point across, and she had better stop before she lost control. 

Just as she was about to cease the spread of the darkness, she felt her control slip away and her vision become spotty. This was exactly what she was afraid of; she couldn’t restrain her powers and had no idea what was happening anymore. 

“Rachel, stop,” she could hear Gar yell over the sounds of objects clattering and people crying out. “This is too much.”

She turned to face him, but a particularly powerful swarm of darkness lashed out at that very moment. It terrified Rachel that she had no idea exactly what was happening; she couldn’t fully see anything. 

The murky vision only lasted a few minutes, and as her consciousness returned, with it came incredulity. Every being in the room had been knocked down and furniture had been tipped over. Glass shards and broken objects clattered to the ground as the overwhelming darkness came flooding back into the purple-haired girl. She looked around, surveying the damage and looking for anybody who could have recovered enough to grab a weapon. Most of the people were injured, limbs bent unnaturally and shrapnel sticking out of their skin. After assuring herself that she was safe for the time being, she remembered that her powers had affected everyone around her.  _ Gar _ . She gasped and began anxiously scanning to room for her teammate. 

She found him lying up against a wrecked bar stool by the kitchen counter. “Gar!” Rachel shouted, rushing to her best friend’s aid. 

He writhed on the floor, hands wildly grasping at his bloody side. Rachel knelt next to him and attempted to inspect the wound, but he clumsily twisted away. The purple-haired girl pressed her lips tightly together; she needed to ensure his safety, but how could she do that if he wouldn’t let her get a close look. She was about to press a firm hand to his shoulder to keep him from moving away from her, but the all too familiar cracking and squelching of bones and flesh stopped her. 

“Rach- I can’t,” Gar said in between moans. “I can’t control the tiger. I don’t want to lose control again. I might-” He was cut off by a low groan that was more of an animalistic growl emanating from his chest. 

Even though he had not been able to finish speaking, Rachel knew exactly what he meant. He was afraid of giving up the reins to the tiger because he feared what it might do. After the  _ incident _ at the asylum, Gar had significant reservations when it came to allowing the tiger to surface. Granted, they  _ had  _ been threatened by the same scientist who had, earlier, tortured the poor boy. However brief it may have been, Rachel knew that one event plagued his thoughts often and he feared that history was doomed to repeat itself. 

She bit her lip and watched the telltale neon green travel across his skin and his bone structure begin to reform into that of a tiger. His clothes began to tear and fall to the floor in tatters. A small blessing was that he was not wearing the red and white jacket he was so fond of. 

Rachel was unsure of what to do. She wanted to help him, but he was thrashing around too violently to get any closer. She watched him struggle internally as he fought off his transformation into a tiger. She could only sit near him and watch helplessly. Eventually, the green retreated and the unnatural sounds faded. The teen girl released a deep sigh of relief; he did it. The tiger was no longer vying for dominance. 

However, the solace was short lived. Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel spotted a woman reach for a gun next to her and draw herself up off the floor. 

“I didn’t think we could make ourselves any more clear.” The woman raised the gun and aimed at Rachel. “You’re coming with us. If you resist, I have no problems with shooting you. I won’t kill you, but maybe it’ll get the point across.” 

Everything happened so fast. The woman pulled the trigger and Rachel gasped. She fell backwards and the breath was knocked out of her, but there was no sharp pain of a gunshot wound. Instead, there was a heavy pressure pressing her down. Rachel looked up just in time to see a green tiger hop off of her and leap at the gun-wielding woman before charging at some of her colleagues who were just now starting to get up. Rachel tried not to wince at every scream of pain.The tiger took down all of them and didn’t stop at that. She couldn’t help but worry about how Gar was going to take this new development. This was the second time that the tiger had taken control and killed. 

Once it was finished, the animal slumped heavily onto the floor. It wasn’t until now that Rachel noticed how much blood there really was. Gar was  _ not _ going to take this well when he shifted back. Come to think of it, why wasn’t he back yet? The intruders had been taken care of-- they were both safe now. 

Rachel approached him hesitantly. There had to still be something wrong. The strong scent of blood should have brought him back by now.

As she got closer, the tiger sluggishly lifted its head. It blinked excessively, probably trying to clear the bleariness. Rachel wondered if it could even recognise her. It exhaled forcefully before heaving itself up. Its limbs shook from exhaustion and from the blood it had lost from the injury. The tiger regarded her with an unreadable expression. 

The animal turned to fully face her and let loose a low growl. Rachel regarded the tiger form of her best friend curiously as she watched it gather its weight onto its haunches. 

No, wait; Rachel knew that look. A cold wave ran through her body; she suddenly realized what was about to happen. Without much more of a warning, the tiger sprung forward, claws and teeth poised to land a devastating strike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chose to refer to the tiger as "it" to help emphasize the difference between the tiger and Gar. (Mainly so it won't feel like Gar is making all these choices).


	5. Tiger

“No. No, Gar.” Rachel whimpered, backing up slowly. 

She cried out as claws dug deep into her skin, creating red ribbons running down her arm. The tiger drew back abruptly at her exclamation of pain, and its green fur rippled as if it were going to sink back into its skin. Rachel assumed that meant that Gar was trying to take back control. 

Rachel’s hope for her best friend’s return lasted merely a few seconds before the tiger groaned and began to hurtle around the room. It seemed that Gar’s attempts to break free were causing it to become even more disoriented and jittery. The animal slammed into furniture, slipped on broken glass, and tore into decorations strewn across the floor. 

The purple-haired teen watched, cradling her left arm close to her body. Rachel took this opportunity to try to sneak from the room. She prayed in all of its chaos, the unhinged tiger would forget about her. As she was leaving, she tripped on the same bar stool Gar had been thrown into earlier. The clattering sound brought the crazed feline’s attention back to her. The two made eye contact and Rachel held her breath. 

After a moment of uncertainty, the animal shook itself off and Gar’s features stopped shifting. Apparently that simple movement jarred the injury Gar had sustained from Rachel’s violent outburst only about ten minutes before. It let out a yelp and reeled back. This allowed Rachel a chance to take off sprinting toward the bedrooms. 

There was no way she was going to fight Gar. She didn’t think she had learned enough from Dick’s lessons, and if she were to use her powers, she might accidentally make things worse. She was the reason that the tiger was so delirious and panicked right now; it was probably concerned for its life and was attacking Rachel because she was the one who had inflicted the wound. Rachel didn’t know how to deal with this in a way that wouldn’t escalate the issue or bring more harm to her friend. 

She hurried into her bedroom and quickly locked the door behind her. She knew it would not keep the tiger at bay for long and when it finally got in, she would be trapped in the small room. The teen girl mentally berated herself for making the decision to run into a place with no other plausible escape. She should have run for the elevator so that she could get out of the building. Hopefully the amount of time it would take the animal to break in would be enough for Gar to be able to resurface. 

Rachel violently flinched when a bang came from the door. It held, but the tiger clearly was not ready to give up so easily. She frantically searched her room for anything that could be of use to her. 

She spotted her phone on her nightstand. With shaky fingers, Rachel found Dick’s number in her contacts and tapped the “call” symbol. She really hoped that he had brought his phone with him. As it rang, Rachel pressed herself against the corner farthest from the door. 

“Rachel? What’s up?” a tired voice suddenly spoke into her ear. “We’re headed back.”

“Dick, you need to hurry. Something’s happened. Some people broke in and now Gar is a tiger and it’s really mad and coming after me and I don’t know what to do and-” 

Dick cut her off. “Okay. Rachel, breathe. We’re almost there. We’ll get there as fast as we can.” The girl could hear the former-Robin urgently explaining the situation to the other team members. “Where in the tower are you right now?” 

“My room. I shut my door, but-”

Before Rachel was able to say any more, the hinges finally gave and the door collapsed to the floor. The tiger slowly stalked forward. Its gaze was still as unfocused as before. She figured either Gar had managed to stall it or it was savoring this moment. 

The purple-haired teen let her phone clatter to the floor and raised her hands to chest level as if it would be a barrier between her and the confused, hysterical animal. “Gar, please,” She pleaded with him, maybe she could talk him out of it like he had done when Trigon had taken control of her. “Please come back. I know that things haven’t been great between us lately, but I don’t think you want to hurt me. And I don’t want to hurt you.” She paused, considering if what she was about to say next would help or exacerbate things. “I don’t think now is the time, but I’m not sure what’s about to happen, and I really need you to know that-” She flinched as the tiger shifted and she contemplated her next words. If she was going to get through to him, it was going to have to be quick and well-worded. 

However, the tiger had other ideas. It growled and lunged at her before she had the chance to finish. Rachel gasped in terror and saw the animal pause like it had before. Rachel looked up to see that the tiger’s teeth were inches away from her shoulder. This time, the hesitation was only brief, and it barely made much of a difference. 

The teeth sunk in deep, and Rachel screamed as white-hot pain flooded through her body. She felt like the two of them stayed like that for several minutes, but realistically, it couldn’t have been longer than twenty seconds. The tiger watched her with its jaws clamped down, a mix of delight and anguish on its face. She briefly wondered how much Gar knew about what the tiger was doing. 

Blood dripped from the purple-haired girl’s shoulder and the animal’s maw. She tried to inhale deeply, but it sounded more like a strangled hiccup. The edges of her vision became tinted with darkness; she was quickly losing consciousness. Panic overtook her and she began reacting out of self preservation. Rachel pounded her fists against the cold, bloody fur and tried to squirm out of the tiger’s strong jaws. 

Suddenly the teeth were ripped from her skin, making the marks deeper and longer. Rachel cried out, collapsing to the ground. She could hear sounds indicating a fight right next to her, but found that she didn’t have the strength or the willpower to turn her head to see what was happening. Her shoulder throbbed, her throat burned, and she felt like she was drowning. The noises sounded farther away and darkness began to wash over her. Though she knew it wasn’t the best idea, she considered giving in to the urge to sleep. It had been an incredibly long and arduous day; it couldn’t hurt to close her eyes and rest for a second. 

Rachel wasn’t sure how much time passed before someone was next to her, gently nudging her awake. 

“Rach,” Dick’s voice whispered. 

The teen girl allowed a groan to escape her lips; the last thing she wanted to do was to wake up and come back to reality. Reality meant pain and confusion and problems. Sleeping was easier; it provided refuge from reality. 

Rachel could feel someone’s arms slide under her legs and wrap around her torso. She didn’t think much of it until the person -probably Dick- lifted her from her position on the ground. Waves of pain rolled over her and she gasped, eyes shooting open. 

“I’m so sorry, Rachel,” Dick said. “But we need to bandage you up. You’ve lost a lot of blood.” 

Not having the strength to respond, Rachel offered a small nod. She settled into his chest and allowed him to carry her to their infirmary. 

As they were leaving, she spotted Dawn kneeling down to check on Gar and to drape a blanket over his waist. He was unconscious on the ground, still covered in blood. At least he was human now, but he sported some nasty cuts and bruises. The thing that concerned Rachel the most was the deep wound in his side from when he had been thrown by Rachel’s faulty powers. She hoped that the two of them would get a chance to talk. After all that happened, she really needed to clear the air. 

However, now clearly wasn’t the best time; Rachel was on the verge of blacking out again and he was unconscious. And both teens were bleeding profusely.  _ Later _ , she promised herself. 

* * *

Rachel absentmindedly picked at the edge of the bandage wrapped around her shoulder and upper arm. She sat in an infirmary bed, Gar was in the one next to her, and Dick stood in front of them. Their mentor was in the middle of filling them in on how the mission had gone and asking about what had happened while the team was gone. Neither teen was listening, both preoccupied with their thoughts, dwelling on the last few hours. 

Once she had been carried into the infirmary, Dick had patched Rachel up and given her a big dose of pain medication and she was out like a light. Apparently while Rachel was asleep, Gar had been deposited into the bed next to Rachel’s. She wasn’t entirely thrilled to be right next to him; after all that had happened, she wasn’t sure she had the strength to try to smooth things over between them. 

After a few minutes, Dick realized that the two weren’t listening to him, so he gave up. “I’ll just let you two get some rest.” He smiled gently and left. 

Rachel shifted in her bed and swallowed thickly. The last time they were alone to talk, things hadn’t ended well. 

Barely even waiting until Dick was out the door, Gar cleared his throat and turned to his best friend. “I’m really sorry for everything. I fought with the tiger the whole time, but it wouldn’t let me out.” He blinked back tears. It pained Rachel to see her best friend look so despondent. “I didn’t want it to hurt you, but the tiger was convinced that you were trying to kill us. Which is crazy.” He chuckled humorlessly and sniffled. “Right?” 

Rachel nodded quickly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. My powers are really unreliable right now. Not that they were ever  _ reliable _ .” 

“Yeah.” He paused as if something was puzzling him. “But it seemed even more... intense this time. Why was that?” 

“My powers can be affected by my emotions.” She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. “And things haven’t been the greatest between us lately. And it’s my fault.”

Gar opened his mouth to object, but the teen girl kept going. 

“I should have been honest with you. Lying to you is what made everything worse, and I can’t stand how tense things have been. And I fully realize that what I’m about to say might ruin our friendship, but I really need to get it off my chest.” 

The green-haired boy looked dejected and began to shrink even further into himself. His reaction made Rachel question her decision to come clean to him, but after all that the two of them had just gone through, this should feel easy. 

Before she allowed her fears to cloud her judgement, she blurted, “I really, really like you.”

Gar just stared at her, mouth ajar. 

Rachel chewed at her bottom lip. “Gar? Please say something. I know this is probably the last thing you wanted to hear right now, but I couldn’t keep it in anymore. If you feel differently than I do, I’m really sorry to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, Rachel. Are you kidding? I thought the idea of being more than friends with me disgusted you.” 

“What? Why?” 

“You denied it to Jason more than once and told me that you’d changed your mind. Not to mention you used the words ‘Ew, no way,’ when the idea of us going out was brought up.”

“Oh.” Rachel had been so focused on making sure Gar would never find out about her feelings for him that she didn’t realize the effect it was having on him. “I’m really sorry I made you feel that way. I really didn’t mean to; I was just afraid that if you found out I liked you, then things would be weird between us. But I guess things are weird between us anyways. 

A silence settled between them. The purple-haired girl tried to decipher the unreadable expression on her best friend’s face. 

“What?” Rachel wondered cautiously. 

“I’ve liked you for a while. I assumed that you didn’t see me the same way,” Gar told her, wiping away the tears that threatened to slip down his cheeks. He looked a bit more cheery as his optimism began to slowly come back. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah. I thought it was painfully obvious. Kory even brought it up during the train ride after the asylum.” He blushed a deep shade of scarlet as if remembering the moment vividly. 

Rachel couldn’t believe it. He liked her back? Her heart felt a thousand pounds lighter. She wanted to get up from her uncomfortable hospital bed and sprint to Kory’s room to tell her. She wanted to cheer in delight, which was an unknown feeling for her. Things typically never looked this hopeful for the girl; and when they did, something always went wrong. Most of the time, her creepy powers would ruin everything, but now that her father was gone, maybe things were starting to look up. Rachel was afraid, but there was no way that she was letting this go. 

What next? The teen girl thought back to her conversation with Kory. It felt so long ago. 

“So, would you want to go see a movie with me sometime?” She asked. 

“Yeah, that sounds fun. Maybe afterwards we could try out that brand new coffee shop that puts fun designs on top.” 

Rachel smiled. “I was just about to suggest that.” 

“Great minds think alike, I guess” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last chapter to go after this one. It'll wrap some things up and show Rachel and Gar before their date.   
> Also, I apologize for how long it's been taking me to get chapters up, but I hope that you've been enjoying them! :)


	6. Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel gets ready for her date with Gar. This chapter is from Kory's point of view because that's how this story was begun and I thought it would be a nice way to bring things full circle!

“Uh… Kory?” Rachel called from the bathroom. “Could you come in here?”

The woman in question pushed off from her position leaning on the wall near the bathroom door. The teen was getting ready for her date with her best friend. It had been a few days since the two had opened up to each other and planned a date. As soon as Dick allowed the two teens to leave their infirmary beds, Rachel had headed straight to Kory’s room to tell her everything. 

Kory smiled fondly at the memory. 

The Tamaranean opened the door and stepped inside. Upon taking in the sight before her, she struggled to hold in a snort of amusement. 

Purple hair stuck out in all directions, seeming to defy gravity. And Rachel was struggling to reach behind herself to zip her dark purple dress over black leggings. 

The dress didn’t seem like something Rachel would typically wear, but Kory thought it was sweet that the teen wanted to get all dressed up for her first date. 

“Hang on. I got it,” Kory told her, swatting the younger girl’s hand out of the way.

Once, the dress was zipped and the mess of purple hair was tamed, Kory took a step back to take a look at Rachel’s full outfit. 

“Aww, Rach. You look so pretty,” the Tamaranean gushed. “How’re you feeling?” 

The half-demon blushed. “I’m a little nervous. I know I shouldn’t be. It’s Gar; he’s my best friend. But this is my first date.”

“That’s understandable. But I’m sure Gar is feeling the same way right now.” Kory told her, leading her into the living room. 

Upon entering, the two women found the green-haired teen being playfully picked on by Hank and Jason with Dawn, Donna, and Dick standing nearby with amused looks on their faces. 

“Oh. Hi, Rachel.” Gar smiled widely. “Wow, you look really nice.” 

“Thanks.” 

Kory held her breath. These two were so perfect for each other, but she really hoped that this date went well. She knew how much these two depended on each other. They got along so well and had the best time together. However, if something went wrong, she fervently hoped their friendship was strong enough to withstand anything. 

“Ready to head out?” Gar asked. His voice shook and Kory noted how his hands were shaking as he slipped his wallet into his pocket. 

Rachel must have noticed his nervousness as well because she slipped her hand into his and gave him a sweet, knowing smile. “I’m so excited to see what the coffee place looks like on the inside.”

Kory felt a swell of pride while she watched the two of them interact. They always seemed to know what words or actions would make the other feel better. The Tamaranean was thankful that the two of them resolved their misunderstanding; it was almost painful watching them tiptoe around each other, not wanting to make things worse. Now, things were back to normal. Well, back to normal plus the fact that they both  _ finally _ admitted their  _ obvious _ feelings for each other. How they could be so oblivious, Kory didn’t know. 

“I know. I’ve heard it has a really oddly specific theme, like a jungle or savanna or something.” 

“Have fun, you guys,” Dick said as the two teens slipped on their shoes. 

“Not too much  _ fun _ , if you know what I mean,” Jason winked. 

Rachel threw her head back and groaned. 

“But, I mean, I get it, sometimes it’s  _ hard  _ to resist,” Jason continued. “I could chaperone if you wanted.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Remember to keep your hands to yourselves.” 

Rachel froze in place and Gar’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. 

“Jason,” Dawn said, jokingly scolding him. 

“Okay, okay. Fine. I’m sorry.” He rolled his eyes, obviously not regretting his words at all. “It took you two long enough to confess your undying love for each other, I’d better not interfere.” 

The half-demon clenched her jaw tightly; obviously this was  _ still _ a sensitive topic, and the days and days of his obnoxious teasing was finally getting to her. Before she had confessed her feelings to Gar, her reactions had almost always been nervous, sloppy reasons why Jason was wrong, now Rachel had nothing to try to hide. And Kory wasn’t completely sure, but she thought she saw a tiny bit of darkness seep out of the purple-haired teen. 

Upon noticing Rachel’s reaction, Gar loudly cleared his throat. “Okay, so now that we’ve gotten  _ that _ out of the way. Are we ready to go now?” 

Rachel quickly nodded, just barely holding herself together. The green-haired boy held the door for her, and they said their goodbyes to their friends before starting to walk away. 

Just as soon as the couple was out of sight, Jason loudly called after them, “Don’t forget to use protection.” 

The rest of the Titans mentally facepalmed in unison. There was no way he was getting away with that comment. 

“No, no. Wait, Rachel,” Gar’s voice yelled in alarm before a blur of purple came racing back in and body slammed the new-Robin, who let out a sharp, shrill squeak of sheer terror. 

* * *

Later that night, Kory sat in her bed listening to Rachel gush about how well her date went. The Tamaranean yawned; she was incredibly exhausted, but she wanted to stay up to hear all about how things had gone. It was becoming more and more clear that suggesting that the two teens go to a coffee shop in the evening wasn’t the best idea. It was nearing 1:30 and the purple-haired girl still had way too much energy. The mix of caffeine and excitement pumping through this girl’s blood was enough to leave her dancing a little in her seated position next to Kory as she recounted the night’s adventures. 

Kory was very glad that Rachel’s date had gone well, and staying up to hear all about it gave the pink-haired woman this feeling she couldn’t quite describe. Kory felt proud of Rachel for overcoming her insecurities and for opening up about her feelings, but there was something else there too. It almost felt maternal. Though, Kory wasn’t sure she’d ever admit that aloud. For now, she was content to snuggle with Rachel and listen to her energetic stories. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All done! Thanks to all who've read my story; it means a lot to me! I hope y'all enjoyed! :)


End file.
